Scathe
by BunniesOfDoom
Summary: They'd assumed that Levi managed to escape the titan horde without incident, but that turns out to not be the case.


Written for a friend on my sneezehq tumblr for the prompt "is that your blood?" for the pairing eruri. My first time writing for Erwin and writing this pairing, so I hope it turned out okay. Content warnings for blood and vomit. There's not any particular time frame for this fic but I'll go ahead and say that it's set pre-series. Enjoy!

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"Disgusting," Levi mutters to himself, using a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his hands and face. Yes, titan blood evaporates in a matter of minutes, but like hell is he going to just wait around covered in it.

Next to him, Erwin's face is as blank and calm as always, but Levi knows him well enough to notice that he's hiding a smile. He always did find Levi's cleaning obsession to be funny. Levi shoots him a scowl and resumes scrubbing the steaming blood from his skin.

"After that ambush, we're going to have to head back towards the wall. Another attack like that and we won't have enough people to make it home."

Levi's ever-present frown deepens. "We've barely been gone for half a day and we're just going to turn back? My men didn't die just to pave our retreat."

"It's a strategic retreat. I know that we haven't made it very far today, but there are more titans than usual in this area. And after that ambush, there are too many injured soldiers to put up a fight if we run into another group that size." Erwin is calm and reasonable as always, but there is the slightest hint of disappointment in his tone.

"Typical," Levi scoffs. He doesn't disagree with his commanding officer, but it is irritating that never they seem to make as far as they used to on previous expeditions. "I'll get my horse ready, and tell my squad." He scrubs irritably at his forehead. There's a small patch of blood that won't come off no matter how much he dabs at it; in fact, it feels like there's more blood dripping from his hairline than before. Wonderful. And the adrenaline has worn off by now, leaving him exhausted, his body heavy and limbs leaden weights. Maybe he needs to spar more. To be this tired after half a day outside the walls is embarrassing.

"You said that you weren't injured?" Erwin asks carefully, a tiny frown pulling at his lips.

Levi nods jerkily. Erwin had asked him that earlier, so why is he asking again? Honestly, this is just a waste of time. His head is throbbing in time with his heartbeat, and he just wants to hurry up and complete the return trip before the titans find them again.

"Levi," Erwin says, and he gestures to the blood on his forehead that stubbornly refuses to wipe off no matter how much he scrubs at it. "Is that your blood?"

He opens his mouth to make a snarky remark about how it's disgusting titan blood and not his own, when the world suddenly swirls around him and his knees buckle, unable to take his weight. The world disappears in a flood of black.

The next time his eyes open, he's sitting on the ground with Erwin crouched in front of him. The commander's face is creased in a deep frown, and he's asking him questions by the looks of it. But Levi can't seem to make out any of the words over the ringing in his ears. Trying to concentrate makes him dizzy, so he closes his eyes and swallows hard against the rising nausea. As if today wasn't going badly enough.

Slowly, the ringing fades and Levi becomes able to make out what Erwin is saying. He makes the mistake of tipping his head up to meet his eyes, which proves to be too much for his traitorous stomach. Before he can even think, he's lurching clumsily to the side, spitting up bile onto the ground beside him.

Disgusting.

Throwing up settles his stomach and clears his head a bit. "What 'appened?" he croaks out, voice rough.

"You fainted," Erwin explains. "It looks like you have a concussion. I guess you didn't manage to escape those titans unscathed after all."

Erwin insists on him seeing a medic, and Levi grumbles his way through the pointless questions. He must doze off at some point while the medic timidly bandages the gash on his head; when Levi opens his eyes, he's somehow been moved so he's lying down in one of the supply wagons. Erwin's cloak is draped over him.

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Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!

(also I know that that ending is crap, I'm sorry, don't me.)


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